C.V. RAJAN Vs. ILLIKKAL RAMESAN AND ORS.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Accused in S.T. No. 1169/1996 on the file of the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Nadapuram, is the revision petitioner herein. The case was taken on file on the basis of a private complaint, filed by the complainant/first respondent against the petitioner alleging offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act (hereinafter called 'the Act').

(2.) The case of the complainant in the complaint was that, the revision petitioner obtained an amount of Rs. 2,30,000/- on the promise of obtaining a job of clerk in B.E.M. School and when he realised that he was not able to fulfil the promise, on demand, he had issued Ext. P1 cheque dated 30.03.1996, on 25.03.1996 to the complainant in discharge of that liability and the cheque when presented was dishonoured for the reason 'funds insufficient' vide Ext. P2 dishonour memo, and the complainant issued Ext. P4 notice vide Ext. P9 postal receipt and the same was received by the revision petitioner evidenced by Ext. P5 postal acknowledgment. He had sent Ext. P6 reply denying the allegations. Exts. P7 and P3 are the ledger extracts and Ext. P8 is the memo issued from the bank intimating the dishonour to the complainant. The revision petitioner had not paid the amount. So he had committed the offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. Hence the complaint.

(3.) When the revision petitioner appeared before the court below, the particulars of offence were read over and explained to him and he pleaded not guilty. In order to prove the case of the complainant, the complainant himself was examined as PW2 and the bank managers of the drawee bank and collecting bank were examined as PWs 1 and 3 and Exts. P1 to P9 were marked on his side. After closure of the complainant's evidence, the revision petitioner was questioned under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and he denied all the incriminating circumstances brought against him in the complainant's evidence. He had further stated that, there was no transaction between himself and the revision petitioner and he had not issued any cheque to the revision petitioner and the cheque given to one Navaneeth Krishnan, was some how obtained by the complainant by one Balan Nair and misusing that cheque and the present complaint was filed. In order to prove his case, DWs 1 and 2 were examined and Ext. D1 was marked. After considering the evidence on record, the court below found that the revision petitioner had committed the offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act and convicted him thereunder and sentenced him to undergo simple imprisonment for 9 months and also to pay a sum of Rs. 1,00,000/- as compensation to the complainant, in default to undergo simple imprisonment for three months under Section 357(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Aggrieved by the same, he filed Crl.Appeal No. 4/2000 before the Sessions Court, Kozhikode, which was made over to First Additional Sessions Court, Kozhikode, for disposal and the learned Additional Sessions Judge by the impugned judgment dismissed the appeal. Aggrieved by the same, the present revision has been filed by the revision petitioner/accused before the court below. In spite of notice issued first respondent did not appear.